Why does Thomas Jefferson Hate America?

January 5, 2007 — Nijma

Newly elected congressman Keith Ellison would be using Thomas Jefferson’s Koran for a private swearing in ceremony after Thursday’s official ceremony, the Jordan Times (link active for one week) reported.

After the official oath-taking ceremony in the House, newly elected Muslim US Representative Keith Ellison was to be sworn during a private ceremony on a copy of the Holy Koran once owned by president Thomas Jefferson.

Speaking to ABC News in a broadcast which aired Thursday, Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the US Congress, said it was only natural that he would take his oath on the Koran, the book of his Islamic faith.

“It’s the scripture that I read every day, and it’s the book that I draw inspiration from,” said the incoming lawmaker, who converted from Roman Catholicism to Islam while a student in college.